“I think if there was enough support, enough of a fan base, definitely the arena is ready to go,” Aquilini said. “There was a basketball team here before, the building is really plug-and-play. We could start tomorrow if we wanted to. But the question is always about market size. That really is the issue. The (Grizzlies) did leave Vancouver for a reason, because there just wasn’t enough market support. If there was, they wouldn’t have left in the first place. We’re continually doing work on that, to assess whether there is enough of a market for an NBA team in Vancouver.”

Career. I've been to Calgary many, many times and I really like it. Did your family say why they don't like it there?

Welcome. I moved here years ago and, crappy weather aside, the city is a good place to live. I've lived in quite a few big centres and really quite like Calgary. Lots of great neighbourhoods, easy to get around, mostly affordable, tonnes to do, terrific restaurants. No NBA/MLB, which sucks, but that's why you have a TV room...

I would love a team back in Vancity, I am sick of no one talking about basketball here! It would be so time consuming and fun to be a huge fan of the raps and be living in vancouver to cheer on whatever team here.

I live here in TO, and I am not sure how many of you actually live out West, but I lived in Vancouver for a while and nobody gave a flying #$&! over there about ball when they had a team, and no one cared when they left. Did the NBA mess up? Probably. But it'll be a tough climb as long as the Canucks are good. Overall, the more NBA in Canada the better

Well how long has it been since you've lived here in Vancouver, because the fan-base/participation for basketball is HUGE. Basketball is growing all-around every year here in B.C. More so Vancouver, and other cities like Burnaby or Coquitlam if any B.C natives know of.

There's no doubt the Canucks will be at the top of the mountain right now. Heck, so will the White Caps... But if there was a return of a team, and success right out of the gate, I could see it climbing the ranks in obtaining a very good fan-base.

Welcome. I moved here years ago and, crappy weather aside, the city is a good place to live. I've lived in quite a few big centres and really quite like Calgary. Lots of great neighbourhoods, easy to get around, mostly affordable, tonnes to do, terrific restaurants. No NBA/MLB, which sucks, but that's why you have a TV room...

I thought the reason Vancouver lost its franchise was because, the owner never had any intention of keeping the team in Vancouver and wanted to move it to his hometown of Memphis from the get-go. Hence, he only owned the team for one year in Vancouver.

Thanks! I think I'll be a Flames fan in no time. I'm looking to buy something in the west. Lots and lots of nice looking communities.

If you can afford it Apollo, I suggest Cochrane which is only 20 minutes from the NW part of Calgary. I lived there over 12 years ago before the town quickly became a small city. Great place and even better if you can find a home facing the mountains.

Oh ya, and forget Vancouver. We need a team in Dr. James Naismith's hometown of Almonte instead.

If you can afford it Apollo, I suggest Cochrane which is only 20 minutes from the NW part of Calgary. I lived there over 12 years ago before the town quickly became a small city. Great place and even better if you can find a home facing the mountains.

Hey Doc, I will most definitely consider the suburbs. I hear Cochrane is really nice. My only cause for concern is that my office is in the DT core and the commute might be horrific in the winter months. I'd have to look into average commute times before considering the suburbs. I'd like to be within walking distance to the train or at least within a very short drive of it. Right now I'm looking at Tuscany, Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak.

NBA in Vancouver

That would be a dream come true - but - Vancouver is a hockey town and a football town. The local sports outlets barely acknowledge the NBA and that's probably because there is no demand from the people living here.

I have reached the point where I still enjoy football but the gratuitous violence in hocket and the unbelieveable attitude of many players towards their opponents is a real turnoff. In the NBA, the players show their respect for the opposition - and there is lots of physical play in the league, its just done without the "padding" that the NHL now uses as weapons to illegally mug each other.

Also the no fighting rules would not appeal to the boys in Vancouver - they seem to need their weekly hit of violence.